Bishkek, June 20, Interfax - Seventeen terror attacks were averted in Kyrgyzstan in 2016, Kyrgyz Security Council Secretary Temir Jumakadyrov said at an anti-terrorist forum in Bishkek.

"Terrorism poses a real threat to Kyrgyzstan. A number of people plotting terror attacks in the territory of Kyrgyzstan were detained in the first months of 2017. The State Committee for National Security and the Interior Ministry have been proactive and managed to prevent incidents of the kind happening in certain countries," Jumakadyrov said.

The authorities did not pay enough attention to religion issues before, he said. "The disregard of religion issues has led to radicalization and extremism. However, the president set the task of elaboration of a concept of the state policy on religion in 2014. Once the concept was approved, Kyrgyzstan began to take systemic efforts in that area," he said.

"The concept of Hanafism (Kyrgyzstan's religion policy concept recommends local Muslims to stick to this Islamic teaching) gives a clear idea on the goal of our progress in the sphere of religion in order to constrain any growth of radicalism. We will be implementing it, whether one likes it or not," Jumakadyrov said.

Bishkek is hosting an anti-terrorist forum of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member countries on June 20.